San Juan Record Classifieds, Events, Businesses In Monticello, San Juan County, Utah

Dec 09, 2009 | 975 views | 1 | 38 | |

April 18, 1920 ~ November 26, 2009

DeVar was born to Arah E. and Grace Powell Shumway on April 18, 1920 in Blanding, UT. He peacefully passed away on November 26, 2009 in his home after a two year battle with cancer.

He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Madge Colleen Shumway, 10 children: Dan, Joe, Jim, Casey, Sallee, Clark, Jill, Jane, Alan, and Jason, 50 grandchildren and 50 great grandchildren, two brothers and four sisters.

He is preceded in death by his parents, brother Gerald, sister Dixie, and son Kerry.

His early years were spent working hard, farming, ranching, and mining with the family through the Great Depression.

He learned as a youth the value of hard work. He loved the great outdoors, hunting hiking, and prospecting. He excelled in sports and had a scholarship to Utah State University, where he attended until he was called to serve in the Southern States Mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

After an honorable two year mission, he returned home and worked in uranium mining for a short period of time before enlisting into the U.S. Navy. He served from 1942 to 1945 in the “Destroyer Navy” in the South Pacific. When he was home on a survivor’s leave, he married Madge Colleen Metro in the Salt Lake Temple on April 4, 1945. After an honorable release from the U. S. military in November, 1945, he returned home to begin a highly successful career in uranium mining.

They would have celebrated their 65th anniversary this spring. They had 11 children, including two sets of twins. Those children have given them an additional 100 grandchildren and great grandchildren. DeVar was a beloved husband, father and grandfather, well respected and honored for the great patriarch that he was. He was a man of the highest integrity, and honest in all his dealings.

His list of accomplishments is long. It includes being a devout member of the Church, where he served in many callings.

He was a mighty hunter and great athlete. He also excelled in uranium mining, fishing, prospecting, rock quarrying, and archeological skills.

He will be fondly remembered by all those friends and family that he continually outworked and out hiked into his late 80’s.

His great loves were his family, friends and relatives, his Church, and his Country, especially San Juan County. He has now gone on to visit with his family and friends that preceded him. We celebrate the life of this great man. He will be missed by all who knew him.

Services were held on Wednesday, December 2, 2009. He was buried with military honors in the Blanding Cemetery.

Card of Thanks

It is with deepest gratitude that the family of DeVar Shumway expresses their thanks to those who have been so supportive, kind and giving during this difficult time. Words can’t express the appreciation we feel.

I never really felt the love from Devar. Seeing as he "loved" his family and relatives so much, maybe there was just something wrong with me. Although I was very young the last time I saw Ole grandpappy, so maybe he just hated his daughter and the man she married, so he took his anger out on the grandkids. He was definitely angry about something, that's for sure. Well, he's gone now, and all that's left are these precious moments I have of him hitting us and yelling at us, again, when we were young children. What a hero Devar was, truly.

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